Dance With Me
by TaylorGibbs
Summary: Written for the Navy NCIS ficathon. Ducky asks a co-worker out and remembers Positano.


Ducky/any other female character

Ducky/any other female character! Ducky finally plucks up the courage to seduce a co-worker that he's liked for a while. Be really great with some dancing in there too. First time. Het. Any rating is fine.

For **adriannacoylho**

Ducky paced the length of autopsy nervously, staring at the way the light played off the shiny tables. He had been trying to gather the courage to ask her out for months and today he had casually mentioned a ballroom dancing class. She'd thrown her head back and asked if he really needed a class.

It had been natural for him to invite her home for a private meal and some relatively private dancing and she'd eagerly agreed, asking him to meet her here at NCIS. She wanted to go home and freshen up then follow him home.

He had very little in the way of preparations to make. Mother had been gone these two years now and the house was immaculate. He'd put in an order at his favorite restaurant when they'd start the drive and then it would be just a matter of queuing up a favorite compact disc.

He couldn't think of her without remembering…

Positano, ten years ago. Gibbs had been recovering from a gunshot wound and playing poker with Decker and the probie, Burley. Jenny had gotten quite fed up with the rampant testosterone roiling in the room and those green eyes had pleaded with his for rescue. He'd jumped at the opportunity to spend some alone time with the beautiful redhead and had mentioned a little out of the way place he'd discovered.

When she'd come out of her room in a teal backless dress, all the men in the room forgot how to breathe. Their stupor had only been broken when Gibbs coughed a few times. Ducky had suspected he and Jenny were enjoying an extended flirtation, but in that moment he knew that for Gibbs it had transformed to unspeakable longing.

They'd eaten the best the Mediterranean had to offer, had drunk local wine, and at the end of the night, slightly tipsy, he'd taken her in his arms and danced her around the moonlit streets.

It had been a stolen moment he'd not dared repeat, but the remembered feel of her in his arms, the way her body fit his and the softness over muscle was branded in his memory. And the thought that they would repeat the act if not the spirit had him more stimulated than a man half his age ought to be.

"Ducky?" Her voice broke into his thoughts and he stood at attention, feeling equal parts proud and foolish. She and Jethro might have been dancing around the issue for quite some time, but_ he_ was her date this evening. Only this time she had not called upon him to escort her to some formal event, but had accepted his invitation with a coy smile and gentle touch, eyes twinkling in promise.

He turned, taking her in. She would have killed a lesser man. For a simple dinner at a co-worker's house she'd gone all out. An emerald green dress plunged both front and back, swishing around her knees. Her jewelry was simple—small diamond stud earrings and a necklace that dipped into her cleavage, and her legs didn't seem to end.

"My my, Director. You look stunning."

She blushed, looking down and for that moment in time he saw the Jenny she kept locked away, the Jenny she kept hidden behind the director persona. He hadn't realized how much he had missed that Jenny until this moment.

"Thank you, Dr. Mallard. Now can we dispense with formalities and be Jen and Ducky for the rest of the evening?"

"As you wish, my dear." He offered her his arm and they walked together to her car. "Will you follow me then?"

"Actually," she said, her voice lowering. "I've been having some car trouble. Could I ride with you?"

Car trouble? He arched an eyebrow. Never let it be said that Ducky Mallard was one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Why of course, my dear." He watched as she collected a small bag from the boot of her car and joined him a short distance away at his.

He held the door open, making sure she was well settled before starting the engine and making his way to Reston. They spent the thirty-minute drive mostly in silence and only when he was turning off the toll road did he realize he hadn't ordered carryout yet..

"Oh, my dear…" His mind raced then he spotted a small office park and he smiled, pulling in and toward the back of one of the buildings. "Change in plans. I'm certain you're far too young to remember, but back in the nineteen seventies, we enjoyed fondue with friends."

"Ducky, I'm hardly a child," she retorted, a laugh in her voice. "I haven't had fondue in years but I remember."

"Delightful then. This place is part of a chain and they only do fondue." He rambled on and she nodded in all the right places, her gaze remaining sharp. The restaurant was empty at this time on a weeknight and they were able to be served swiftly. He speared a piece of bread and dipped it in some cheese; he couldn't resist feeding her the morsel. Her lips curled in a smile around the fondue fork when the creamy delight hit her palate and he couldn't help his own smile. When she let her guard down and her softness came out, she was truly a remarkable woman.

Soft romantic music was playing throughout the deserted restaurant and he impulsively stood and reached for her hand. "Dance with me, Jen?"

Her eyes flashed and he clearly read the promise in them as she glided gracefully to her feet and slipped her hand into his. He pulled her close, one arm snugly around her back, the other hand clasping hers. Their height difference was marginal—she must have worn flats, he realized—and they fit together perfectly, her body molding to his in a way that was comfortable but not overtly sexual.

He hated releasing her when their salads arrived.

For the rest of the four-course meal they ate, and then swayed to the music as one. When the last bit of fruit sopped up decadently rich chocolate and was devoured, she leaned forward.

"Ducky, promise me this won't end here. Take me home…"

He arched an eyebrow, not expecting her to be a little coy. "Your place or mine, my dear? I must warn you, however, that I may lack the capacity to be a complete gentleman."

Her hand found his, fingers curling into his palm. "Good. Your place then. You owe me significantly more dances and an after dinner drink at the very least."

"And with your car trouble you may be forced to stay the night."

"I may," she replied with a wink and a silent promise. "I've been waiting a long time for this dance, Ducky. Thank you for inviting me." Her thumb drew little circles on his hand and he trembled all over. He'd waited and longed for this connection for endless years and now that it was here, he could hardly believe it.

"No, no. Thank you for accepting, my dear. You've made an old man very happy."

She quirked an eyebrow and his heartbeat sped up. " I may have to prove to you that you are not an old man, Ducky. And the night has only just begun."


End file.
